Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Fined 10M Won in 1st Trial, Risking Loss of Office

[26.07.22] Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Sentenced to 10M Won Fine in 1st Trial Over 'Opinion Poll Payment' Case... Faces Risk of Losing Mayoralty

Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon, who was indicted for obtaining opinion poll results from political broker Myung Tae-kyun and having a supporter pay the fees, has been sentenced to a fine of 10 million KRW in his first trial—a penalty that invalidates his election. If confirmed by higher courts, Mayor Oh will lose his office.

1. Court Sentences Mayor Oh to 10M Won Fine: Risk of Election Invalidation

On July 22, 2026, the Seoul Central District Court (Criminal Division 22) sentenced Mayor Oh Se-hoon to a fine of 10 million won and a forfeiture order of 21 million won for violating the Political Funds Act. Co-defendants Kang Cheol-won (former Vice Mayor) and Kim Han-jeong (supporter) were fined 3 million won and 5 million won, respectively. Immediately following the verdict, concerns and close attention regarding potential leadership gaps flared up in and around Seoul City Hall.

Special Counsel Min Jung-ki's team had initially demanded a 1-year-and-6-month prison sentence, but the bench ultimately delivered a 10 million won fine disqualifying him from office. Mayor Oh, who attended the court session in a dark navy suit, maintained a stern expression throughout the reading of the sentence in a heavy courtroom atmosphere. The court made it clear that it strictly applied statutory penalties given the gravity of receiving illegal political funds.

Under South Korean election laws, any elected official fined 1 million won or more for political fund violations forfeits their post and is barred from running for office for 5 years. Consequently, if this first-instance sentence is upheld by the Supreme Court, Mayor Oh will face immediate removal from office and a severe political setback.

Mayor Oh faces a severe ruling that would invalidate his election if upheld in higher courts.

2. 5 Out of 10 Polls Found Guilty: How the Illegal Payment Was Recognized

The court found Mayor Oh guilty regarding 5 out of 10 opinion polls (4 non-public, 1 public) conducted by the Future Korea Research Institute ahead of the April 2021 Seoul Mayoral by-election.

While the Special Counsel claimed all 10 polls and 33 million won were illegal, the court selectively recognized only 5 polls (worth 21 million won) starting from January 22, 2021. The decisive factor was the exact match between the dates supporter Kim deposited funds into the institute's account and the timing of pre-publication poll deliveries to Oh's team. Circumstantial evidence indicating that non-public poll results were utilized as strategic decision-making assets during internal primary preparations further supported the guilty verdict.

Conversely, the court acquitted Oh on the remaining 5 polls—4 where direct commission by Oh's team was unproven, and 1 where third-party payment lacked clear evidence. The 21 million won recognized as illegal funding was verified strictly through bank transfer records sent directly from Kim's account to the polling firm.

The court deemed 21 million won (for 5 polls) as illegal political donations due to matching timelines and circumstances.

3. Political Motives Confirmed & Assessment of Myung's Testimony

Mayor Oh's defense argued there was no reason to commission polls from Myung due to his lack of recognized expertise, but the court rejected this argument. The bench acknowledged Oh's weakened political position at the time following strained relations with party leadership and consecutive electoral losses as a sufficient motive.

The court determined that Mayor Oh intended to utilize Myung—who was introduced by former party leadership—to build internal leverage and demonstrate his political competitiveness. It was clearly revealed during trial that tracking objective public sentiment was top priority for Oh's campaign amidst intense primary competition with key party rivals. Therefore, circumstances indicating that Oh's campaign used Myung's polls to navigate election strategy were deemed valid motives.

Meanwhile, exaggerated and uncorroborated claims by Myung—such as assertions that 'Oh cried during a phone call' or 'promised the presidency of SH Corporation'—were discarded. The bench strictly restricted admissible evidence to core statements that perfectly aligned with objective digital logs, including KakaoTalk messages, text records, and call logs. Consequently, the court relied solely on factual relations backed by digital evidence rather than circumstantial assertions.

While exaggerated statements were dismissed, corroborated digital evidence formed the conclusive basis for guilt.

4. "Refusal to Admit Responsibility": Sentencing Rationale & Appeals Ahead

Critiquing Mayor Oh in its sentencing rationale, the court noted that despite his extensive political experience and legal knowledge, he refused to admit responsibility and attempted to evade liability. The court strongly reprimanded him for circumventing candidate-polling bans via third-party payments, citing it as a serious disregard for law.

Immediately following the verdict, Mayor Oh spoke to reporters outside the court, declaring an immediate appeal: "This is an unacceptable decision based solely on indirect evidence and provocative claims from a complete liar, Myung Tae-kyun." His defense counsel added that in the upcoming High Court appeal, they will fiercely dispute whether direct instructions were given for poll delivery and whether awareness of third-party payment existed.

On the other hand, Deputy Special Counsel Park No-soo stated that the ruling proved the defense's claims of a 'politically motivated prosecution' were false. As the Special Counsel plans to review the judgment before deciding whether to appeal the partial acquittals, intense legal battles are anticipated alongside ongoing uncertainty surrounding municipal operations.

Category	Details
Case Name	Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon Political Funds Act Violation Trial
Date & Court	July 22, 2026 / Seoul Central District Court (Div. 22)
Sentences	Oh Se-hoon: 10M KRW Fine + 21M KRW Forfeiture Kang Cheol-won: 3M KRW Fine / Kim Han-jeong: 5M KRW Fine
Court Rationale	Guilty on 5 polls (21M won payment) / Disqualification from office warranted
Next Steps	Immediate appeal announced by Mayor Oh / High Court battle expected

[Key Summary] 4 Core Takeaways of the Verdict

• Position-Loss Penalty: Fined 10M KRW; if upheld by Supreme Court, Mayor Oh loses his position.
• Substituted Payment Recognized: Found guilty on 5 out of 10 polls based on payment dates and pre-publication sharing.
• Evidence Evaluation: Political motive recognized; verdict grounded on objective messaging and call logs.
• Appellate Stage Entered: Mayor Oh rejected the verdict relying on indirect evidence, advancing the case to 2nd instance.

Related Tags: Oh Se-hoon, Myung Tae-kyun, Political Funds Act, First Instance Verdict, 10 Million Won Fine, Loss of Mayoralty Risk, Opinion Poll Payment, Special Counsel, July_22_2026